So I have been climbing for a year now and the majority of my training hhas just been climbing 4 times a wake. I might be going in for knee surgery and need some advice on off wall training. If some one can help me out, I worked hard to get where I am and would hate for all that work to go to waste:( HELP!

Sam, I'd do my best to avoid the knife altogether. I should have had knee surgery, disc surgery and a hip replacements but I've found my own cures and am now careful but pain free and still climbing at 65. I have had lots of friends who have gone under the knife, but not many successes long term.

There isn't much you can do to maintain climbing-specific fitness besides climbing. There simply is no good substitute.

So the best thing you can do is to focus on maintaining general fitness. If you're off your feet, then swimming, core training, stretching, weight training, etc. will help you to keep your fitness and "psyche" at a place where, once you're cleared to climb again, you'll actually be able to get on it.

I feel for you. I've had both knees (and shoulders) worked on. These were some of the most depressing times of my life. Just remember that you'll be back before long, and that you will crush it upon your return!

Sam, I'd do my best to avoid the knife altogether. I should have had knee surgery, disc surgery and a hip replacements but I've found my own cures and am now careful but pain free and still climbing at 65. I have had lots of friends who have gone under the knife, but not many successes long term.

Which university did you say granted you your degree in medicine? You have a full diagnostic assessment of Sam's problem to offer this advice, yes? Absent any detail, this is kinda pointless if not potentially dangerous advice.

Well, I have quite a few friends who have "gone under the knife" and have had excellent outcomes. Plus, I have a number of other friends who didn't opt for operations and are very sorry about the decision. So Syd's perspective is far from the only one, not to mention the fact that it is based on total ignorance of the circumstances (and now I'm inclined to say, "as usual").

I had a ruptured ACL surgically replaced a year and a half ago. The alternative was to deal with an unstable knee, which would have made even exposed hiking dangerous. The decision was a no-brainer for me.

Unless you have a lot of disposable time, you will have to devote a lot of your training time to rehabbing your knee, because if you don't do that properly it really will have been a big mistake to get the operation. So I'd get used to the idea that you will lose climbing fitness, I certainly did. But you can build it back up again as your knee gets better---the main thing is to recover full strength and range of motion for your knee.

You can do quite a lot with a hangboard mounted so that you can grab the holds while standing on the floor. Just don't put yourself in a situation requiring you to jump down onto the good leg only.